Judges 21:4

4 Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.

Judges 21:4 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
4 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
English Standard Version (ESV)
4 And the next day the people rose early and built there an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
New Living Translation (NLT)
4 Early the next morning the people built an altar and presented their burnt offerings and peace offerings on it.
The Message Bible (MSG)
4 Early the next morning, the people got busy and built an altar. They sacrificed Whole-Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings.
American Standard Version (ASV)
4 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings.
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
4 The next day the people got up early. They built an altar there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
4 The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
4 Early the next day the people built an altar. They brought burnt offerings and friendship offerings.

Judges 21:4 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 21:4

And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early,
&c.] The day after their fasting and prayer, and a sense of their present case and circumstances being deeply impressed upon their minds, they rose early in the morning to acts of devotion, and exercises of religion, hoping that being in the way of their duty, the difficulties with which they were perplexed would be removed:

and built there an altar;
if this place was Bethel, as Kimchi reasons, there Jacob had built an altar; but that in such a course of years might have been demolished: and if it was Shiloh, there was the tabernacle, and so the altar of the Lord there; wherefore this either signifies the repairing of that, being in ruins, which is not likely, since it was but lately used, ( Judges 20:26 ) or the building of a new one, which to do in the tabernacle was not unlawful, especially when the number of sacrifices required it, which it is highly probable was the case now, as it was at the dedication of the temple, ( 1 Kings 8:64 ) though the above mentioned writer thinks, that building an altar signifies, as in many places, only seeking the Lord; but the use for which it was built is expressed:

and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings;
both to atone for the sins they had been guilty of in the prosecution of the war, and to return thanks for victory given, and to implore fresh favours to be bestowed upon them.

Judges 21:4 In-Context

2 The people went to Bethel, where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly.
3 “LORD, God of Israel,” they cried, “why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?”
4 Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.
5 Then the Israelites asked, “Who from all the tribes of Israel has failed to assemble before the LORD?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to assemble before the LORD at Mizpah was to be put to death.
6 Now the Israelites grieved for the tribe of Benjamin, their fellow Israelites. “Today one tribe is cut off from Israel,” they said.

Cross References 1

  • 1. Judges 20:26; 2 Samuel 24:25
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